Seven Problems with the New Puppy
by sendmetosanfran
Summary: Red and Liz run into problems while taking care of their new puppy. Sequel to Seven days with a baby. Can be read independently. Takes place after Tom Connolly.
1. Chapter 1

Red and Liz were tired after the long ride to their next safe house. The ride itself hadn't been difficult, just long. Scruffy, the Labrador puppy that they had just gotten, had made himself comfortable in Red's lap and had fallen asleep. The radio had been turned on which had let them know that the infant that they had taken care of for the past week had been returned to his mother. It turned out that the father had kidnapped him and left him after deciding to leave his wife.

Now, Red and Liz had laid down to go to sleep. Scruffy had been left in the livingroom with the door closed. It didn't take long for the whining and scratching at the door to start. Red sighed while Liz sat up.

"Should we let him in?" Liz asked as the puppy barked at them through the door. Red groaned as he sat up and turned on the lamp. "I mean, we just got him. He's gonna want to be near us."

"I'll go open the door," Red stated as he stood up. Once the door was open, scruffy ran into the room before running into Red's legs. If he'd been a bigger dog, that might have knocked him over. Instead, it just resulted in scruffy falling back and shaking his head. Red chuckled and went back to the bed.

Red watched in amusement as the lab made a run as if to get up on the bed. There was a small thump when the puppy hit the side of the bed, not even close to making it over the edge. Scruffy looked up at him and made a small noise as if begging to be picked up. Red chuckled again as he leaned down and picked up the small dog. It waged its tail excitedly before laying down in Red's lap.

"He's cute," Liz commented as Red scratched the puppy's back. It turned over onto its back to let Red scratch his belly. Liz watched Red for a moment. It was sweet to see him like this. That was the entire reason why she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek.

"Lizzie?" He asked, movements faltering. She kissed his cheek again before getting him to turn his lips towards her. He hummed into the kiss and wound his arms around her. She leaned against him more before nipping at his lower lip. He let out a low groan before holding her tighter.

That was interrupted quickly when scruffy pushed in between them. They back away from each other and looked at the small dog. He looked at the both of them and gave a happy bark.

"Scruffy, you can have some attention next," Liz said, giving the small dog a pat but still scooted him to the side gently. She moved back over to wrap her arms around Red's neck. He pulled her back into a hard kiss, arms tugging her closer. Unfortunately, scruffy decided to get in on it and virtually tackled them before licking Red.

They broke apart out of shock but the puppy kept licking him. He held up his hands and moved over slightly to get him off.

"No!" Red yelped. "Down, boy," he added, eyes widening when he shifted a little too far. Liz tried to catch the criminal before he fell off the bed and landed with a thud. "Ouch."

"Are you okay?" Liz asked, looking over the edge of the bed. Scruffy waged his tail as he looked down with her. Red sighed from his place on the floor.

"I'm covered in dog slober and laying on the floor. What do you think, Lizzie?" He questioned. Before he could sit up, scruffy decided to jump down on his stomach. "Oof."

The puppy was on top of his chest and licking him again. He pushed the dog back and sat up. Wiping his face, he stood back up.

"He's gotten to kiss you more than I have," Liz said as he put the puppy back on the bed.

"To be fair, you're a better kisser," Red stated as he laid back down. He leaned his cheek on her shoulder while holding scruffy back from getting to his face. That resulted in scruffy laying down on Red's belly with his head on his chest.

"I'd hope so," Liz responded.

"Well, you are. Scruffy uses too much tongue."


	2. Chapter 2

If there's one thing that any dog owner should know is that you should never leave a puppy alone. Ever. The longer they're left alone, the more havoc that they can cause.

"Oh my God!" Liz gasped after stepping into the bedroom. There was clothing all over the floor. Right in the center was scruffy trying to look innocent. That might have been more convincing if he hadn't had a shred of denim in his teeth.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Red asked before joining by her side. He grimaced at the tattered clothing and didn't notice the dirty look he was getting from Liz.

"I'm curious as to how none of that is yours?" Liz questioned, pointing at the mangled clothing. He looked over at her and raised an eyebrow.

"I don't understand," he responded.

"The only thing he got to were my clothes," she said before pulling his tie out from under his vest. "None of your clothes got chewed up. Not even a tie," she added, pulling on it a little. He tugged it back before straightening it a little.

"Unlike you, Lizzie. I was prepared," Red stated smugly. She furrowed her brow which got him to walk over to the closet. He pulled it open to show his clothes folded over hangers to where they were out of reach. His shoes, ties, and hats were all placed on the top shelf neatly.

"Oh that's so well organized,"Liz stated sarcastically. Still, Red looked smug about it. At least until she grabbed one of his ties and held it over scruffy.

"No!" Red yelped, snatching it away before the puppy's jaws could clamp on. He folded it and put it back in its place. "Just because your wardrobe got murdered doesn't mean that you can sacrifice mine."

"Just help me pick up my clothes and figure out what hasn't been torn to bits," she said, getting a nod from him.

Liz walked over to the other side of the room before picking up part of what was laying there. She threw them on the bed to where scruffy couldn't get his teeth on them. Red did the same, tie dangling in front of him as he worked. Scruffy, who had been sitting quietly, eyed the material. Liz didn't actually see what happened, just heard a loud thud, and Red made a hacking noise in the back of his throat.

"Red?" Liz asked, turning around. She saw Red on his hands and knees while Scruffy tugged on his tie with a growl. His tail waged as Red tried to get his tie back.

"No, scruffy! My tie," he stammered before coughing. When scruffy had clamped on, he'd been strangled by his own tie. "It's not a toy!" He added and coughed again. Red grabbed his tie and pulled back, nearly lifting the puppy off the ground. "This is my favorite tie!"

"I think you mean was," Liz said. The fabric tore slightly, making Red grimace. Finally, scruffy let go, and Red stood up. He huffed and straightened the remains of his tie. "You alright?"

"Fine," Red replied with a cough. Liz stepped forward as he cleared his throat. "I just wasn't expecting to play tug of war," he added. Liz paused for a moment.

"You ready for round two?"

"Huh?" He asked. Liz pulled on his tie, much more gently than scruffy had, and tugged him down to her lips. He kissed her back before pulling her closer by putting a hand on the small of her back. Liz broke away for a second.

"You know, this would be perfect if I didn't have my hand in dog drool."

* * *

I've never had a puppy that didn't wage war on my clothes. Also, is anybody else having trouble with this site or is it just me?


	3. Chapter 3

They had thought that this was just going to be a small rain shower. Instead, it was turning into a downpour. Red and Liz had already gone to sleep, Scruffy at their feet, when a loud crash of thunder shook then awake. Scruffy immediately yelped in fear and bolted under the blankets. Red sat up and lifted the covers slightly.

"Come here, boy," he said in a calming tone. Scruffy moved forward slowly before shooting ahead at the sound of another clap of thunder. Unfortunately for Red, scruffy ended up head butting the man in the crotch. Red doubled over in pain and groaned.

"Are you okay?" Liz asked. She placed a hand on his shoulder, but it was quickly brushed off.

"I'm fine," he grunted out before looking smug. "You could kiss it and make it better," he joked, getting a punch in the arm. "I'm just kidding."

"Sure," Liz responded. Another clap of thunder set scruffy off again. He jumped into Liz's arm before squirming around and jumping down. "Ouch, he scratched my boob."

"Even though you didn't want to do it for me, I could k-,"

"Not now, Red!" Liz scolded before going after the pup that was rampaging through the house. Red watched her as she hurried away, hips swaying as she went. "Could I do it later?"

"Red!"

"That didn't sound like a no," he responded and heard her groan.

"Just get in here!" She yelled. He sighed and stood up from the bed.

"If I don't watch it, she'll kick my ass," he muttered to himself.

Scruffy was running back and forth across the house in a panic. Liz was doing all she could to catch him. There had to be a way to calm him down.

"He's completely losing his shit!" Liz exclaimed, and Red desperately hoped that she meant figuratively. The power had gone out, and the last thing that he wanted to do was clean up dog poo in the dark.

"This looks like what I want to do when I see the clothing you pick out for yourself," Red commented as the little fur ball raced past him.

"Red, if you keep it up with the jokes, you and scruffy are gonna switch positons on the bed," Liz warned.

"Sweetheart, I'd much rather see you in the doggy position," he replied, making her blush furiously.

"Red!"

"Sorry, we just woke up. I'm thinking out loud," he said.

"Just help me catch him."

* * *

An hour later, Liz and Red were both exhausted. Scruffy, however, was still going steady. Eventually, Liz just sat down on the floor and laid on her side. Red sat down next to her and sighed.

Scruffy ran past them a few times before slowing to sniff at Liz. She reached out and scratched him behind the ears. Still trembling, he laid down next to her and pressed up against her.

"That's all we had to do?" Red questioned, looking over at them.

"We? I don't see him cuddling you," Liz responded, petting the little dog. He scooted up to be closer to her and ended up with his head under her breasts.

"I wouldn't mind doing that," Red commented. Liz gave him a hard look.

"If we had one, you'd be in the doghouse."

"Lizzie, I think the doghouse would be flooded right now," he replied. The criminal shifted to where he was laying on his side, spooning her.

"Who said you could cuddle me?"

"What? And me be left out?" He asked, kissing her shoulder gently. Liz sighed, trying to sound angry with him.

"I'm surround by dogs!" She said, feeling his arms wrap around her waist. "If you're gonna act like a dog, I'm gonna have to put you on a leash," she added, putting her hand over his. She felt the vibrations in her back when he laughed.

"Lizzie, I never knew you were so kinky."

"That's not what I meant!"

"Sure, it wasn't."


	4. Chapter 4

"I think something bit me," Red complained as he sat up. His fingernails scratched his back, over a bump... Make that bumps. Suddenly, he was hit by the strong urge to scratch everywhere. "I think a lot of things bit me!"

"What?" Liz muttered as she sat up, still drowsy. Almost instantly, the same urge to scratch caught her. "What the hell?" She said. What had gotten to them in the night? The answer was pretty clear when they saw scruffy scratching as well "he has fleas!"

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry to tell you this, but that means that we have fleas," Red stated, digging at a spot behind his ear.

"We have to get rid of these things. Gah! Something just bit me between my boobs!"

"I swear that it wasn't me," he joked, getting a slap on the arm.

"I'm only joking. All we have to do is take a flea bath... And get scruffy in it too," the criminal said. Liz groaned but nodded.

* * *

First, they were going to wash the puppy. It would be difficult to keep the pup away from them after they were clean. It would be all too easy for him to give them fleas all over again. Next, Red would take his bath. Liz would have insisted that she take hers first, but he'd gotten bitten on his rear and had been trying desperately for the past hour not to scratch it. Of course, it was fun for her to see the man twitching around because of it. Then, finally, Liz would be able to take hers.

"are you gonna be able to make it?" She questioned as Red shifted in discomfort. He wanted to scratch so badly but wouldn't be reduced to digging at his ass like some kind of monkey. He wasn't above having fleas but considered himself above acting like some kind of primate in front of his Lizzie.

"I'm fine. Let's just hurry up and get this over with," he instructed, giving one last futile shift.

They ran the water and filled the water with suds. Scruffy sat to the side, foot digging behind his ear, still not knowing what his owners had planned for him. Liz stuck her hand in the water to see how it felt. It was a little hotter than lukewarm which was a pretty good temperature in her opinion. Next, they'd just have to get the puppy into the water. Red lifted the dog and sat him in gently. Despite that, scruffy reacted violently. He yipped and fought to be let out. Liz held him down and started to wash him off. Despite his whimpering, he calmed down quickly.

The next problem was Red shifting from side to side, trying to get rid of his itch. Why did everything have to go for his ass. Although, he didn't complain when that something happened to be Liz. She happened to be watching him in slight annoyance and concern.

"You look like you're trying to do the hula," Liz said as Red's hips took on an almost rhythmic pace to help soothe the bite mark on his rear. "Will you just scratch it already? It's not like you've never scratched your ass before."

"Not in front of you," he stated.

"Would it help if I turned around?" She asked making him scoff. Then, he bit his lip and gave a small whimper when another wave seemed to strike him.

"Please," he almost whined. "I can't deal with much more of this," he added. Liz sighed and turned around. Red immediately went for the itch, determined to do this quickly and silently. Instead, he let out an unintentional moan. Liz furrowed her brow at the sound.

"It sounds less like you're scratching and more like you're fucking," she joked, but he was too relived to be insulted.

"Okay, I'm good now," he stated and turned back towards the tub. "... Where's scruffy?"

"Huh?" Liz asked and turned around quickly. Sure enough, the tub was empty except for soapy water. Looking to the side, they could see the puddle trail that scruffy had left behind. "Great, you were so busy moaning that you didn't notice the dog had left."

"You didn't notice either!"

"Because I had turned around while you scratched your ass and moaned in my ear!"

"And who told me to?" He questioned.

"I didn't tell you to moan at me."

"I meant the other part!"

"Let's just find the dog," Liz groaned as she stood. Red huffed in irritation but still followed her. Scruffy sat across the room, dripping water onto the floor. Liz walked over which ended with the puppy scurrying away. She speeded up to catch him but ended up slipping on the puddle that he'd left behind. Red watched as she yelped and landed on her backside.

"No need to catch me or anything," she growled. Red rolled his eyes. He hadn't been anywhere close enough to catch her if he had wanted to. Obviously, he would have.

Scruffy started to run passed Red. The criminal reached out in an attempt to capture him but ended up losing his grip. Although, he had held on tight enough that he wound up doing a very ungraceful belly flop onto the floor.

"Never mind, you can't catch yourself," Liz said at the sight of the man on the floor. Red stood back up and saw scruffy running to go by him again. This time when he reached for the puppy, he stepped forward. Unfortunately, that foot kept going, sliding on the puddle of soapy water, while the other stayed still.

Liz grimaced when she heard the sound of pain that he made from doing the splits. He sucked in his breath while he got into a sitting position. Liz thought that he might have been okay and was going to stand up. Instead, he put his hands over his crotch and fell over to the side in the fetal position, giving a strained moan of pain.

Scruffy tilted his head at the sound. Then, he edged closer to see if Red was okay. When he got close enough, scruffy liked Red's forehead which got a glare from him. Quickly, Liz moved over and grabbed the puppy.

"Y-you caught the puppy," Liz said with a forced smile. That had to have hurt like hell.

"And lost the ability to have children."

* * *

This ended up being a last minute thing. I had written out of the other chapter that I was going to put up instead but decided that it wasn't ready yet, and I wasn't sure how to fix it yet. So, I'm sorry if this one didn't turn out how I thought it would.


	5. Chapter 5

"I still can't believe that you did the splits," Liz stated, looking at the man sitting at the other end of the sofa.

"I can," Red responded and made a noise in the back of his throat as he sat the ice pack down on his groin. It was cold, and usually, it was his strong belief that he should never put anything of an extreme temperature anywhere below the belt. Of course, he'd make an exception due the slight relief he was getting from it. "The pants I ripped can believe it... Those were one of my best pairs too."

"Then why did you wear them to wash a dog?"

"... Comfort?"

"Whatever you say, Red," Liz said and scooted closer to him to pat his shoulder. "Is there something that I can do to make you feel better?" Liz questioned. He smiled before pulling her towards him. Her back ended up pressed to his chest while his arms wrapped around her waist. It tickled the back of her neck slightly when she felt him nuzzle her hair and kiss her neck.

"This seems about right," he stated, thoroughly enjoying the scent of her shampoo and just how warm she was against his chest. Her fingers traced circles around his hands and forearms, giving him goosebumps.

"Hmmm," she hummed, leaning her head back against his shoulder. "I thought you would have suggested something a little different than cuddling," she added, making him pause. It didn't matter what had happened to him before, he'd taken every chance he could to get into bed with her.

"Sweetheart, are you offering a man who did the splits sex as a means to cheer him up?"

"Do you think that it'd hurt too much?" She asked, shifting in his arms. Her fingers traced over the skin of his chest that was visible above his shirt.

"I don't know, Lizzie. That was kind of a hard fall. I might not be abl-," he was cut short when she undid another button. "But, I'm still not sure that it's a good ide-," again he was cut off. This time, Liz leaned against him and buried her face in his neck. Her lips worked slowly and calmly, bringing a moan out of his throat. He couldn't help but mourn the loss of contact.

"I'll be in the bedroom if you change your mind," Liz stated, standing up. Red felt cold without her, and that wasn't just because of the ice pack. Liz was out of the room quickly but had made sure that her hips swayed plenty. It wasn't as if she couldn't feel his eyes on her as she walked away. She might as well put on a show.

Red sat there in stunned silence for a while. Then, he saw scruffy laying in the corner of the room, probably taking a nap. Red stood up and walked over to the little dog. Despite if he wanted to be picked up or not, Red lifted the puppy and brought him back to the sofa to rest in his lap. Scruffy shifted slightly out of shock but gave no show of irritation at the sudden act of affection.

"I don't know if I should or not," Red stated as he petted scruffy. He aimed the words at the dog but was speaking to himself. "I want to go in there, but I don't want to pull something," Red added even though no one was listening. He was already in pain and didn't want to make it worse.

Red sighed and laid down across the sofa. Scruffy shifted to where he was laying on the man's che

* * *

st. Red sighed and closed his eyes for a second, enjoying the small heat that scruffy was putting off.

"Red?" Liz asked, walking back into the living room. She had been sure that she could have gotten Red to follow her, but apparently not. Despite that, she had at least thought that he wouldn't have fallen asleep as soon as she'd left the room.

Now, she was watching him snore on the sofa with scruffy licking his face. Liz grimaced slightly when the puppy's tongue swept across Red's mouth.

"Scruffy, bad dog," she said which got him to look up at her. "You aren't supposed to get as far with him as I have."

Scruffy barked and waged his tail. The sound woke Red up. He blinked and looked up at Liz.

"Hi, sleepy beauty," Liz commented.

"Lizzie?" He asked. "Wha? ... Did I fall asleep?" He asked, still drowsy. Liz crossed her arms over her chest as she looked down at him.

"Yes, Red. You had a woman waiting in bed for you, and you fell asleep," she didn't sound amused.

"Don't say it like that."

"How should I say it?"

"... There's really not a good way is there?" Red asked with a small blush.

"I want you to be honest about something."

"About what, sweetheart?"

"Did you stay in here because you couldn't get it up?" She asked, making Red's eyes widen in shock.

"Excuse me?" He questioned, voice high. "I don't have that problem!"

"Sure you don't," she said as she rolled her eyes. She hadn't expected for him to stand up and pull her against him.

"Put your arms around my shoulders," he instructed. Liz furrowed her brow in concern.

"... Please tell me that isn't all it takes to get you off."

"Just do it," he said. She sighed but still put her arms around his shoulders. In a quick movement, he picked her up to where her legs were wrapped around his waist. She thought he would have struggled. Instead, he made it look like she didn't weigh anything.

"One thing really quick," Liz said as Red started to carry her towards the bedroom.

"Hmm?"

"You may want to go use some mouth wash. When I came in, scruffy was making out with you."

"... That explains the weird taste in my mouth."


	6. Chapter 6

Liz learned something new about Red. He was handsy. She had expected him to be the kind of man who would simply put his arms around a woman after they had just gotten done with having sex, or making love as he had called it. Instead, she was faced with a man who wouldn't stop running his hands over the smooth skin of her back and over her hips. Not that that was a bad thing. She was enjoying it. It just wasn't what she expected.

"Lizzie," he said, quietly, as if he was the most relaxed that he had ever been.

"Yeah, Red?" She asked and pressed the bridge of her nose against his neck. God, he smelled good.

"... Honestly, I'm still in shock over what we just did," he answered, and she was almost sure that he was blushing. She let her fingers trace over his waist so she could lay her arm across him. So, he was a pillow talker too? He was like every clingy woman's dream guy.

"It's not like something could interrupt us every time," she stated and pulled him a little closer. The scars on his back still felt strange, but she was starting to get used to them. Red ran his tongue over his lower lip.

"... Do you think we could do it again without being interrupted?" He asked, kissing her temple. She chuckled before leaning up to kiss him.

"Are you sure that you're up for it?" Liz countered. She felt him smile against her hair before claiming her lips again. She gave a quiet moan and leaned into the kiss. Red ran his hands back to the small of her back to pull her closer again.

They both nearly jumped out of their skins when scruffy barked from beside the bed. They had started out in the middle of the bed and we're now on either side. It was like they were a couple of teenagers who had been caught but were trying to look innocent. Of course, the lack of clothing probably would have given them away. Red turned and looked down at the puppy.

"What the hell happened to him?" Red yelped in shock after seeing scruffy. Liz furrowed her brow before scooting over to see what was the matter. She gasped at the sight.

"Are those porcupine needles?" Liz asked, seeing the needles sticking out of scruffy's shoulder. The puppy gave a high pitched whine as if to answer her question. Red sighed, knowing that he was going to have to get out of bed and get dressed.

"I'll get the tweezers," he said before throwing the covers off and standing up. Liz did nothing to hide the fact that she was looking at him. What would have been the point? They had just slept together.

"You may want to get dressed before you get close to those quills," Liz stated. Red cringed a little at the thought of what she was implying could happen. He slipped into his clothes before leaving the room. Scruffy followed at his heels as if he fully expected Red to help him. After grabbing the tweezers from the bathroom, he went to sit in the living room. Scruffy followed and sat down next to him.

"How did you even get outside?" Red asked even though he knew that he couldn't get an answer. Leaning forward, he grabbed one of the needles with the tweezers. Seeing how large they were, pliers may have been a better idea. He jerked it out quickly which caused the puppy to yelp and whimper. "I'm sorry, but there isn't a painless way of doing this," Red stated.

Scruffy moved back over to him after a moment. Maybe he understood what Red was doing. Red leaned over again and saw the puppy tense before he plucked out the next quill. Scruffy yelped again which sent a surge of guilt through Red.

"I'm sorry, boy," Red stated before picking scruffy up and holding him against his chest. The little dog whimpered before licking Red on the cheek. "There's just one more to get out," he said and lifted the tweezers again. This time, scruffy whined before it even got pulled out. When it was gone, scruffy turned his head to where it was tucked under Red's arm while the rest of him was pressed firmly against his stomach.

"Did you get all the quills out?" Liz asked, walking in wearing Red's button up. The sight made his heart flutter a little.

"Yeah, I did, and I-DON'T SIT THERE," Red nearly screamed when he saw that Liz had started to sit down. By the look on her face, Red could tell that the damage had already been done. She'd sat directly on top of the quills that he'd just removed from scruffy.

* * *

"I'll be honest, this is not my first thought when I think of bending a woman over a table," Red stated at the sight of Liz bent over the kitchen table. Three quills stuck out from one side of her rear.

"Just get them out," Liz responded, obviously irritated. Red sighed and stepped forward and tried to tweeze one of them out. Unlike with scruffy, Liz had gotten these deep.

"Ouch!" She yelped even though it hadn't been fully removed. "How did scruffy deal with this?" She asked which got the puppy to tilt his head in confusion at her. He sat in front of her on the table like he was there for emotional support.

"I don't think he had much of a choice. Also, sweetheart, it'll help if you stop tensing," Red stated.

"I'm not tensing," she argued which got a disbelieving look.

"I know you're in good shape, but your ass is not that toned," he said making her groan.

"I know when I'm tense, Red. I'm not a child."

"Given what we did earlier, I would hope not. And I know you're tensing because I spent a bit of time feeling that area earlier," Red responded. He grabbed the quill with the tweezers again and jerked it out.

"Son of a bitch!" She yelped, gripping the table.

"Pace yourself, there's still two more."

"Oh, shut up!"

"Now now, Lizzie, there's no reason to get butthurt," Red stated with a smirk. She glared at him over her shoulder. "Oh, like you would have passed that one up."

"I really hate you some times."

Red rolled his eyes and went back to trying to pluck out the other quills. The second one was a bit more difficult to get out, and he noticed that Liz had started to kick back slightly. If he wasn't careful, he might get kicked somewhere that he didn't want to.

"Lizzie, try not to kick me. I would rather like to redo what we did earlier," Red stated.

"I swear that I'm not trying to. This just hurts."

"I know, sweetheart," he said and rubbed her side gently and affectionately. "I've had to get a few of these out myself."

She leaned her head down as he started to work on the last one. Scruffy licked her forehead as if to console her. Red jerked quickly and got the offending item out. Liz sighed in relief. She stood back only to have his arms wrapped around her. She let her hands brush along his arms.

"If that had been somewhere else, I'd offer to kiss it and make it better," he said which got a grin from her. Oh no, he'd walked right into this one.

"Why not, Red? I'd gladly let you kiss my ass."

* * *

Some of the dogs I've had have been freakin escape artist.


	7. Chapter 7

"keep that thing away from me!" Liz yelped after seeing what Red was trying to offer her to eat.

"It's just an anchovy!" He replied almost insulted at how she had behaved.

"I think you mean that it's just gross," Liz said back, scooting away from the offered fish. "How can you eat that?" She questioned as he took a bite.

"Out of all the things that you've seen me eat, this is the one that you have a problem with?"

"Yes," liz responded, making a rather disgusted face. Scruffy jumped up on the sofa between them and sniffed at what Red was holding.

"See, scruffy doesn't think that it's so bad," he stated, sounding triumphant.

"That's your selling point? That the dog will eat it. They eat their own shi-," Liz started but was cut off by the puppy making a hacking noise. Red and Liz both looked at the dog in shock.

"Scruffy doesn't even think that it looks edible," Liz stated. Red blushed lightly as the puppy laid its head on his knee.

"The little fur ball betrayed me."

* * *

"Come on, scruffy. I enjoy this. Why don't you?" Red asked, sounding desperate. Liz walked in to find him holding something in front of the little dog's nose. She furrowed her brow at him.

"What are you trying to feed him, now?" She questioned, making him jump slightly.

"Tuna," Red answered, sounding like a child. Liz made a small gagging noise in the back of her throat. "Tuna is good!" He exclaimed, nearly throwing his hands up in exasperation. "What is it with the two of you? Don't you know what good food is?"

"Red, I'm sorry to tell you this, but it's two against one here... You're losing to a puppy," Liz said, making him groan. She leaned forward and rubbed his shoulder. "Maybe, he's just a picky eater."

"When was the last time that you saw a dog that was a picky eater?"

"... It could happen. He might just not like fish."

"I guess that's possible," Red agreed before starting to walk away. "What about salmon?" He said and started back towards the cabinet.

"Stop torturing the dog!"

"I am not torturing! I'm offering him good food. Any other dog would love to be in his place, right now!"

Liz groaned and walked out of the room. Halfway to the sofa, she heard,"DAMN IT, SCRUFFY! WORK WITH ME!"

* * *

"Four kinds of fish. I tried four kinds of fish," Red muttered, head back on Liz's shoulder. She ran a hand over his chest affectionately. "I even tried to give him pork. What kind of dog doesn't like pork?"

"Aren't you being a little over dramatic about this?" Liz asked which only got a cold look from him. "I was just asking," she added and kissed his forehead to appease him. A dog had rejected some of his favorite foods. There was no reason to patronize him. He shifted more firmly against her and sighed. His eyes slipped shut for all of one second. Then, they heard a noise from the kitchen.

"What was that?" Liz asked as Red sat up. Instead of answering, he stood up and walked into the kitchen.

"You've got to be shitting me!" Red exclaimed, looking down. Scruffy had his head shoved in a box, happily scarfing down frozen fish sticks that Liz had sat out to thaw on the counter.

"I guess he actually does like fish," Liz stated from beside Red who gave her a rather nasty look. "Just not the kind you like."

"You mean real fish?"

"... Yeah, something like that."

* * *

I've never had a picky dog. However, strangely enough, I had a rabbit that didn't like carrots but would eat onion. Also, not entirely sure when I'll get a new story uploaded. This is officially my first day of college :).


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